Biography
Claire Kern (b.1982) is a French photographer newly based in Eastern regions of France. She mainly works on self-driven projects. In 2012 she graduated from Documentary Photography at the University of Wales, Newport and currently manages the exhibitions and events at Third Floor Gallery, Cardiff.
Portfolio
Chamboulement
In 2009, my family home in Jura, France, burned down. Over thirty years of my parents' life and
twenty-one of my own went up in smoke. Soon after the event, I arrived at the house in the early morning to
salvage what I could. I saved the family photos and documented the aftermath of the fire. The fire brought
many unresolved matters to light, though at the same time, so much was thrust into darkness. Those saved
photographs and the subsequent ones i made, succeed in bringing two distinct timelines together.
The
piece of work is a collection of documentary photographs and photographs from the family archive. The
documentary photographs are the result of weeks spent with my family in the aftermath of the fire: the
recollection of those events that so deeply affected the entire family. Juxtaposing the family archive,
which includes prints and slides, salvaged from the ruins gives one an opportunity to look at past and
present moments, as they look toward each other. The happy house that was, is looking at what it has become;
as are the residents and associates of that dwelling.
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